Ethan – Berks Sports Report

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:36:46 +0000

One of the top pitchers in the state is headed to the ACC. Ethan Grim, a rising senior at Gov. Mifflin, has committed to Virginia Tech. Grim helped the (24-5) Mustangs capture their first state championship this year. They beat Hollidaysburg 2-1 in the PIAA-5A final at Penn State University. Grim allowed just two hits and one run over six innings. He struck out eleven and walked three. Grim was dominant in the state quarterfinals as well. He limited Whitehall to a pair of hits while striking out ten. Gov. Mifflin cruised to a 10-0 victory in five innings.

Grim (8-3, 1.77) was a first team All-State selection in Class 5A. He finished the season with 113 strikeouts in 71 innings and one save. The righty features a low-90s fastball. Grim also had an outstanding spring at the plate. He hit .410 with ten doubles, one triple, and a homer. Grim racked up 29 RBI.

Virginia Tech went (32-22) overall this year. The Hokies ended up (14-16) in conference play.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:36:30 +0000

If the barking from the Whitehall dugout was designed to rattle Ethan Grim, it didn’t work. “I just get in my zone. I don’t really listen to what anyone says. I just focus on Travis’ mitt,” said Grim. The hard-throwing junior held the Zephyrs to two hits in a 10-0 victory at Kutztown Park. The (22-5) Mustangs only needed five innings to end the PIAA-5A quarterfinal against the District 11 champion. Grim (7-3) felt good as soon as he took the mound. “In the [bullpen], I felt amazing, probably the best of the year,” he noted. The righty threw his slider away and mixed in a curveball to go along with a low-90s fastball. Grim had ten strikeouts and two walks. Gov. Mifflin supported him early with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the 1st inning. “Then you can pitch different and relax. You don’t have to overthrow,” replied Grim. The Mustangs finished with eleven hits including four straight to begin the game. Travis Jenkins, a junior catcher, ripped a two-run double to right-center. Grim followed with a RBI single to center to make it 3-0. Joey Berg’s infield single to shortstop gave Gov. Mifflin a 4-0 edge. Branson Adams and Jenkins provided opposite field RBI singles with two outs in the 2nd inning. Whitehall trailed 6-0 when East Stroudsburg commit Evan Kovalcik was replaced by Matt Hansen on the mound. Kovalcik had only thrown 3.2 innings this season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was charged with six runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings. Grim helped himself again in the 4th with a sacrifice fly to center. The Mustangs wrapped it up with three runs in the 5th off Hansen. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler walked with the bases loaded. Adams hit a two-run single through the middle with one out to seal the deal. Jenkins and Adams each went 3-for-3 with 3RBI. Grim was 1-for-1 and knocked in a pair of runs. Dante Casantini added two hits from the No. 8 spot in the batting order. Gov. Mifflin advanced to the state semifinals for the first time. “We wanted it real bad. Our coach was saying let’s go make history,” said Grim. Shippensburg and District 4 champ Selinsgrove meet Friday at 6pm at Hershey. The Mustangs will square off against the winner on Monday.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:59:00 +0000

The 2022 Berks County playoffs were a big disappointment for Ethan Grim and the Mustangs. They entered the tournament as the #1 seed, but got upset by #8 Oley Valley 6-1 in the quarterfinals. That left a sour taste in Grim’s mouth. The sophomore right-hander got redemption this year. Grim held second-seeded Wilson to one unearned run on three hits over 5+ innings in Monday’s BCIAA Championship. Gov. Mifflin prevailed 6-3 at FirstEnergy Stadium for its 15th county title. Grim struck out seven and walked two. His fastball hit 88 mph. “I’m good under pressure. I just had to throw strikes,” Grim said. His record improved to (6-2). As a freshman, he went (6-1) with a 1.52 ERA. Grim helped himself against the (16-7) Bulldogs. He went 1-for-2 with 2RBI. His single to right field in the bottom of the 5th gave the (18-4) Mustangs a 6-1 advantage. Grim hit four batters including the first two in the 6th. UConn commit Tyler Minick took over on the mound and got out of the jam without allowing a run. Nick Fiorini ripped a 2-run triple to right in the 7th. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent Gov. Mifflin from claiming its second county championship in three years. Each team finished with five hits. Travis Jenkins was 2-for-3 with a RBI. He’s part of a very talented sophomore class in Shillington. Matt VanOstenbridge, who committed to Kent State this week, was charged with six runs, but only one was earned. The junior lefty gave up five hits while striking out seven in five frames. Wilson’s eight-game winning streak came to a halt. The Bulldogs beat the Mustangs twice in the regular season. Grim gave credit to the twelve seniors on the club. “They have so much leadership. They help us through everything, even when the times are low,” he replied. Gov. Mifflin will face a familiar foe in the opening round of the District 3-5A playoffs. The second-seeded Mustangs host #15 Exeter at 4:30pm on Friday. “There’s a lot of good teams in our district so bear down and get working,” stated Grim.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 20:07:00 +0000

Ethan Grim knew early on that he had good stuff. “I was establishing my fastball, my curveball was moving pretty good, and my changeup was moving the way I wanted it to,” said Grim. The sophomore right-hander struck out ten over six innings in an 8-0 victory at Exeter. Grim allowed just two hits and two walks as Gov. Mifflin extended its winning streak to eight. Grim was an all-division pick a season ago when he went (6-1) with a 1.52 ERA. He’s (3-1) this year with a fastball in the high 80s. Grim gave credit to senior catcher Darien Troche. “Oh, he’s pretty good. He frames everything,” replied Grim. Bryce Detwiler, one of four sophomores in the starting lineup, hammered a 2-run homer to left-center in the 1st inning. Sophomore Travis Jenkins made it 4-0 in the 3rd with a 2-run triple. Detwiler gave the (9-1, 5-0) Mustangs a 6-0 advantage with a 2-run double down the left field line in the 4th inning. He wasn’t finished. The second baseman ripped an RBI single to left field for a 7-0 lead in the 6th. Detwiler finished 3-for-3 with a walk, 2 runs, and 5 RBI. Tyler Minick went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks. The UConn commit scored four times and stole three bases. They provided plenty of support for Grim who piled up four strikeouts in the first two frames. Sophomore Chase Blew started for the (5-3, 2-2) Eagles. 6’6, 230-pound senior Deven Sheerin didn’t play due to a back injury. The Mount St. Mary’s commit will hopefully be back on the mound by the middle of next week. Blew gave up six runs on six hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out one. Gov. Mifflin was the #1 seed entering the Berks County and District 3 playoffs last year, but didn’t reach the championship game in either tournament. That’s something that still bothers Grim. “Oh yeah, we’re coming for something this year,” he stated. Grim said his favorite MLB pitchers are Zack Wheeler and Max Scherzer. He also revealed his favorite musical performer.

Ethan Brower-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 19:14:00 +0000

In its first six games, Wyomissing averaged less than six pass attempts. When you run the rock as well as the Spartans, you don’t need to put the ball in the air. On Saturday afternoon, however, the Spartans were struggling to get the rushing attack going so Bob Wolfrum decided to open things up. Ben Zechman took advantage of the opportunity. The 6’2 senior quarterback threw for a career-high 137 yards in a 38-7 rout of Cocalico. Zechman was 8-of-10 with two touchdown tosses. He found Ethan Brower on a post for a 29-yard score on the first play of the second quarter. That put the (7-0, 4-0) Spartans on top 28-0. Brower has just four catches this season. I asked the 6’, 180-pound junior about life as a receiver in the Wing-T offense. He replied, “It’s fun. You have a lot of responsibility because you gotta be able to block just as much as the linemen do.” Zechman found halfback William Delp on a throwback screen to the left that went for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:46 remaining in the first half. Seven different Spartans caught passes including tight end Caleb Brewer. The 6’5, 285-pound junior rumbled 26 yards. Brewer recently received offers from Pittsburgh, Maryland, Boston College, Duke and other DI programs. James Franklin was in attendance to see PSU commit Jven Williams who’s the top-rated player in Pennsylvania. “It’s kind of nerve-racking, but we just go out like it’s any other game,” said Brower. He gives a lot of credit to the big guys up front like Williams, Brewer, and Pacen Ziegler. That trio averages 285 pounds. “They’re huge. They work insanely hard in the offseason and during the season. They’re big supporters of all of the guys. It brings this team together,” stated Brower. The offensive line paved the way for Matthew Kramer to score three times in the opening nine minutes. All three touchdown runs came after fumbles by Cocalico. Kramer ended up with a team-high 76 yards on 11 carries. The 215-pound senior fullback scored from 1, 13, and 14 yards away. The (3-4, 2-2) Eagles got on the scoreboard on the first play of the fourth quarter. Sam Steffey’s 3-yard touchdown came with Wyomissing’s starters on the sideline. The 185-pound junior had 60 yards on a dozen touches. Cocalico entered the game averaging 307 rushing yards in their Flexbone offense. The stingy Spartans allowed just 121 yards on the ground and 41 of that came on the final possession. Wyomissing outgained Cocalico 291-to-124. Brower stressed how much Zechman has improved from a season ago. “The chemistry that he has with a lot of guys on the team is great. He’s got so much stronger. He’s playing really, really well,” noted Brower. He added, “This year our passing game has been very successful and it’s always something that we can learn back on if we ever need it. [Running] is mainly our offense, but the passing is just as good.” Zechman has completed 73% of his passes for 570 yards with 8TD and only one interception. Wyomissing hasn’t lost a regular season contest since October 27, 2018 against Berks Catholic. Brower talked about playing for Coach Wolfrum. “It’s a privilege. He’s the best to ever do it in Pennsylvania football. He’s such a good mentor. He’s a phenomenal coach,” emphasized Brower. Wolfrum has guided the Spartans to 344 victories, ten District 3 championships, and a state title over 36 seasons. Brower and I also discussed his favorite teachers and musical artists, as well as what he likes to do for fun. Wyomissing fans are having plenty of fun watching this team try to get back to the Class 3A state final.

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:19:00 +0000

Gov. Mifflin put its undefeated record on the line Thursday night against Fleetwood. The Tigers sent junior Jake Karnish to the mound. He entered the game with a sparkling 1.29 ERA. The right-hander had 20 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Karnish is an All-County basketball player for Fleetwood. He averaged 17 points this season. The Mustangs gave the ball to Ethan Grim and the freshman stole the show in a 4-0 victory. Grim tossed a complete game with ten strikeouts and just two walks. A fourth inning single by sophomore Aiden Soumas was the only hit for the (3-6, 0-3) Tigers. It was the second start for Grim and his fourth appearance. The young righty struck out the first five batters that he faced. Grim told me that he’s really happy with his curveball, but his changeup is a work in progress. He was painting the outside corner with his fastball. Grim gave credit to head coach Chris Hole for providing detailed scouting reports of their opponents. Hole is in his tenth season as the manager with a mark of (147-87). He’s guided Gov. Mifflin to three Berks League championships and four appearances in the state playoffs. I asked Grim what it was like pitching at Owls Field in West Lawn. He replied, “It’s amazing, like a dream come true.” The Mustangs got on the scoreboard in the second inning thanks to a 2-out, RBI single to center by Mike Marmolejos. The outfielder, who was 2-for-3, is one of just three seniors on the Gov. Mifflin roster. Designated hitter Xander Velez crushed an RBI triple to left-center field in the third. Junior catcher Darien Troche followed with a sacrifice fly to right for a 3-0 advantage. Karnish was taken out after 4.2 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks. Freshman Tyler Dilbeck replaced Karnish and was promptly greeted by an RBI single to left by Bryce Detwiler. That line drive gave the (12-0, 6-0) Mustangs a four run cushion which was plenty for Grim. He said the players don’t talk about being unbeaten. They know there’s more work to be done and the competition is tough in Berks County. UConn commit Tyler Minick went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and a walk. Grim had fun discussing what would happen if he had to pitch to Minick. Troche and Matt Ventura each doubled for Gov. Mifflin. Grim finished with 93 pitches. He held Boyertown to one run on five hits over seven frames last Saturday. The Mustangs beat the Bears 2-1 in eight innings. Fleetwood continues to get solid pitching, but the Tigers struggle to score. Their team batting average was .170 going into Thursday with an on-base percentage of .244. Junior second baseman Braden Williams has a team-high .318 average with 6 RBI. Soumas, an all-division selection as a freshman last year, is hitting .300. Grim struck out Williams with men on first and second to end the top of the fourth inning. The soft-spoken hurler likes to fish in his spare time. His favorite subjects include history and geometry. Grim, Detwiler, and Travis Jenkins were in the starting lineup on Thursday. They’re part of a ninth grade class that’s worth keeping an eye on in Shillington.